Trump Troop Move Has Unintended Consequences for Merkel
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump meet at the G-20 summit in Osaka on June 28, 2019.
Photographer: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
In the summer of 2006, when Angela Merkel was just months in office, she hosted President George W. Bush in her electoral district by the Baltic Sea. The visit cemented a turnaround in relations after the tensions caused by her predecessor Gerhard Schroeder’s refusal to support the invasion of Iraq.
Fast forward to today, and Germany’s ties with the U.S. have plumbed depths that would have been unimaginable then. President Donald Trump has made no secret of his disdain for Merkel and her policies. The chancellor has labeled Trump’s America an unreliable ally.